


New Beginnings, Poor Decisions

by yesitsalsoagun



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Canon-typical swearing, Gen, Mistakes, Post-Episode: s01e048 Fantasia, in the form of bad haircuts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:55:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22250671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yesitsalsoagun/pseuds/yesitsalsoagun
Summary: A profound change in Freed's life has shaken him deeply.So he copes the way anyone would: he fucks up his hair.
Relationships: Bickslow & Evergreen & Freed Justine, Lucy Heartfilia & Freed Justine
Kudos: 42





	New Beginnings, Poor Decisions

There were several reasons why Freed decided to cut his hair after the Battle of Fairy Tail.

The first was that he was grieving, and struggling to figure out a way forward through the pain. Laxus had been the Thunder Legion’s guide, their compass, for the longest time that losing him felt like a physical blow.

Freed stared down at the razor in his hand, mind still heavily debating whether to go through with this or not.

It was for the best, in the end. After all, Freed was not mourning the fact that Laxus was gone; rather, that he had been for so long and none of them noticed.

Laxus…Laxus had done some terrible things. They all had. It was time for them all to move forward, to find their own places in the guild and in the world. It was time for all of them to become their own people, not lingering in anyone else’s shadow.

He pressed the razor to his scalp, took a deep breath, and flicked it on.

The second reason was because Freed was a twenty year old who had just lost about seventy-five percent of his impulse control.

He stared at himself in the mirror, head half shaven, his mind screaming _OH GODS WHAT HAVE I DONE_ on a panicked loop. But there was no backing out now, no matter how badly his stomach twisted into nervous knots.

The third reason was to cheer up his teammates.

Maybe, he thought in retrospect as he heard footsteps and felt his heart jump into his throat, he should not have decided to do this in the middle of the night while Bickslow and Evergreen were likely to still be having trouble sleeping.

The door creaked open behind him but he didn’t dare to look, just froze and hunched his shoulders, razor still held at his head. He could vaguely see his teammates’ reflections in the mirror.

“…Freed?” Evergreen’s asked tiredly, confusion lacing her words.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Freed lowered the razor and turned around.

Both of them looked absolutely exhausted; hair disheveled and eyes puffy from crying. Despite this, Bickslow still had the audacity to give him an amused smile.

“Whatcha doing there?” His dolls were way too cheerful to be echoing him at two o’clock in the godsdamned morning.

“I...” Freed took in a deep breath, ready to explain himself, but in that moment, watching loose hairs drift down in his peripheral vision, he couldn’t come up with a single reason that would justify the impulsive decision he had made. He let out his breath in a heavy sigh, letting his shoulders drop with the motion.

“Pfft,” Evergreen didn’t even try to conceal her laugh. Bickslow grinned before the two of them cracked up and devolved into laughter. Freed didn’t entirely blame them. He probably looked ridiculous.

As his friends doubled over laughing for the first time since Laxus’ departure, Freed allowed himself a small smile. He reveled in the small victory for only a moment before Bickslow righted himself, wiping a tear from his eye.

“Holy shit,” he wheezed. “ _Holy shit_.”

“Freed,” Evergreen managed between bouts of laughter, “what were you _thinking_?”

“A lot of things,” he grumbled as he glared down at the razor. “It was supposed to be a declaration of change. It’s…not going so great.”

“Yea, I can see that,” Bickslow said. “Have you _ever_ shaved your head before?”

“…No.”

“Yea, I didn’t think so,” he said, swiping the razor from Freed’s hand. Freed didn’t stop him. “You should really leave this to the experts.”

“Who, you?” Freed asked, quirking an incredulous eyebrow.

“Of course! Who else?” he stuck his tongue out in a confident grin. He gestured to Freed’s shorn locks with the razor before spinning it in his hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll fix…all this.”

“I’ll make some tea,” Evergreen said as she rolled her eyes, smiling. “I have a feeling we’ll need it.”

The fourth reason really was a declaration of change. A show of how earnest he was to grow and abandon his old ways.

Things were…uncertain for a while. Many people were reasonably upset at the Thunder Legion, and at their lack of punishment from the Master. But, to Freed’s surprise, many people…weren’t. There were definitely apologies to be made, and bridges to be mended, but people were friendly. Welcoming. People called out to them, asked them how their day or their last job was. People offered to do things with them.

And in turn, the Thunder Legion reached out more. Freed spoke to Levy about languages he didn’t think anyone else but he could speak. He finally relented and sparred with Natsu at the Dragon Slayer’s request. Slowly, but surely, the Thunder Legion would find their place in this family.

The fifth reason was a bit convoluted, but…it was to reach out to one person in particular.

When Freed finally couldn’t stand seeing his own hair so appallingly short in the mirror a moment longer—which was to say about a day or two—Freed knew he had to build up the courage to finally approach her.

The idea of reaching out to people outside of the Thunder Legion, and asking them for _help_ , was so incredibly foreign that he was surprised at himself for even considering it. The thought was, quite frankly, a little mortifying.

But Freed felt it was necessary. He was growing, after all, or at least attempting to. Doing things outside of his comfort zone would help him do that. Hopefully. And even if they didn’t…Freed felt he owed it to her.

The telepathic link had reached almost every member of Fairy Tail that day, himself included, so he had heard the speech she made. It was quite inspiring; enough so that guild members took up arms to destroy the Thunder Palace. She, with her words, saved the guild and townspeople from destruction.

For that alone, Freed owed her. This would not erase his debt, not in the slightest, but introducing himself and showing he was no longer a threat would be a start. So, after he readied himself and prepared for the worst, just in case, he approached the table where she now sat alone.

“Miss Lucy?” he said.

Lucy almost jumped out of her skin and turned to face him, eyes wide in surprise.

“F-Freed!” she smiled, looking a bit stiff. He didn’t blame her. After everything they had done, she was certainly allowed to have her reservations.

“I was…wondering if you might be inclined to help me with something.”

“Oh,” Lucy blinked at him a few times before pointing disbelievingly at herself. “ _Me?_ ”

“Yes. I believe you are the only one equipped to assist me with this.”

“That sounds serious. Wh...What do you need help with?”

Freed grimaced and took in a deep breath. “It is my understanding that you…have a spirit who specializes in hairdressing.”

A moment passed before realization dawned on Lucy’s face. She laughed once—not too loud, bless her—before quickly stifling the noise behind her hand. After a beat, she composed herself and lowered her hand.

“Yea, I do. Let me guess, this hairstyle isn’t working out for you?”

“Not in the slightest.”

Lucy chuckled a little and smiled, a real genuine smile this time, as she stood. “Alright, Cancer and I will have you fixed up in no time. I know a better place for that than here, let’s go!”

Her eagerness to help someone who had so recently tormented her guild left him speechless. But reaching out, building this bridge felt like the right thing to do, and if not that, then it was a start. So after a few stunned blinks, he nodded.

“Lead the way.”

Things weren’t perfect, not by a long shot, but they were getting better. The Thunder Legion was learning and growing, becoming closer to their guild and rediscovering what kind of family it could be. If their biggest mistakes from then on were bad hairstyle choices, well, Freed believed he could live with that.


End file.
